Montagliani says the 2023 Gold Cup was a step forward on and off the pitch

By Paul Nicholson in Los Angeles

July 16 - Speaking ahead of the 2023 Gold Cup final in Los Angeles, Concacaf President Victor Montagliani hailed the increased level of competitiveness of its member nations and said qualifying for the Cup of the world 2026 was going to be fierce.

“This Gold Cup has shown that there are clearly four nations that have increased their competitiveness and can realistically challenge the traditional elite (the United States and Mexico) on an equal footing. didn't happen by chance, it really was the work of six or seven years,” said Montagliani, who also pointed out that his own organization raised its own game by hosting these finals.

"Qualifying for the World Cup is going to be a hell of a battle and with the results we've seen, no one is guaranteed a place."

Panama beat the United States in the semi-finals to advance to their first final since 2013 and establish themselves as the best team in Central America, a position held by Costa Rica in recent years, but which is being rebuilt. Even so, despite exiting in the quarter-finals, they still showed signs of being competitive.

Jamaica also showed an appetite for partying at Concacaf's top table, after being knocked out in the semi-finals by a rejuvenated Mexico. If Jamaica had delivered in their opening group and finished what looked like a nailed victory until USA grabbed a late equalizer against the run of the game, then they would have won the group and taken a different route. towards the final that would have avoided Mexico.

They seem to only improve on this performance and have even more players to bring in from the Premier League to give themselves more depth in the squad.

Canada may be the enigma. After announcing their arrival as elite performers with World Cup qualification, they were unable to take the next step and win a title. They lost a bit obediently in the Nations League final and in the Gold Cup they looked like a side that had become a bit uncomfortable in their own skin – sending their four key men back to their European clubs n did not help this campaign which ended with a quarter. Final knockout in the United States.

But it's not just about what is now a big six in the region. Other nations are knocking at the door.

Montagliani highlights the "French-speaking nations who all performed well and were just one win away from being in the top tier. It's not just the Hispanic nations, but there's great progress there.

“Guatemala were suspended only four years ago. But since then they have embraced the concept of 'football first' and Concacaf was ready to support their return. They found the right people and are put to work to make changes. They were just a 1-0 loss away from the semi-final. That's a huge step up," continued Montaglini.

In 2021, the Gold Cup was held as the region emerged from covid. This was difficult as the covid travel regulations were very different between nations and the full qualifying rounds for the group stages could not be played. This led to the introduction of knockout preliminary rounds which were an immediate success.

They provided 12 teams with a Gold Cup experience and qualified the final three teams for the group stages while maintaining competitive integrity in the structure of the competition. The group stages have been repeated again for this edition and will probably be maintained. The question is whether having them so close to the group stage kickoff allows them to recover enough to be competitive.

The schedule was also an issue for the Nations League finals as it was played just a week before the Gold Cup kicked off which ultimately meant the United States released 17 of their 23-man squad between return competitions at their European clubs. It was a decision that backfired on USA no matter how much spin they tried to give, giving other players an opportunity.

The truth is, the Gold Cup was an opportunity to continue building a young and impressive squad through 2026. How else are they going to prove themselves? That opportunity was lost and USA found themselves with an egg in their face in front of their own fans and fellow Concacaf players.

But even with an American team struggling to capture the imagination of its own fans in its home market, this Gold Cup has seen an increase in attendance and behind the scenes, Montagliani points to "significantly increased efficiency ".

“I think the numbers on sponsors and attendance will probably show that we had the best Gold Cup ever,” Montagliani said. "These are exciting times for our entire region on and off the pitch."

There was talk about how the Gold Cup was a first test event for the World Cup in 2026: a huge logistical task before an expanded competition to 48 teams.

Actually, this isn't a test event for anything. It's the Gold Cup, a major event...